good morning. i'm thomas roberts. battleground barnstorming. it's all about math versus momentum. the end game is in sight. and the two presidential candidates are barreling into the final stretch with laser focus and a swing state blitz. president obama scheduled to speak at a rally in we wat just minutes from now. the busiest single day today of his campaign. the president expected to canvass over 5,000 miles traveling from iowa to colorado to nevada to florida across country and back again. the president's primary mission, energize supporters and mobilize early voters. >> my plan will actually move america forward. it's not just a sales job. we joke. governor romney being all over the map, but it speaks to something important. it speaks of trust. you know me.

you know i mean what i say. you know that i do what i say i'm going to do. >> speaking about being all over the map, romney will ping-pong back and forth between ohio and iowa the next three days. the republican nominee is casting the race as moving his way and a ground falling out from president team obama. >> these debates have super charged our campaign. there's no question about it. we're seeing more and more enthusiasm, more and more support. we've gone through four debates with the vice presidential debate and my debates. and we haven't heard an agenda from the president. that's why his campaign is taking on water and our campaign is full speed ahead. >> they both are insistent they're winning. like they're both worried if for some reason that gravity will just drag them down. >> with the race down to seven critical states, 89 remaining electoral college votes team

romney is also hoping clint empty chair evidentwood can make his election day. >> obama's second term would be a rerun of the first and our country just couldn't survive that. we need someone who can turn it around fast and that man is mitt romney. there's not much time left and the future of our country is at stake. >> so let's dig right in. the president is speaking in iowa. kristen welker is traveling with the president in this state. kristin, an about face from the campaign this morning regarding what was an off the record interview with one of iowa's largest newspapers and they're calling him on the carpet for it. why? >> that's absolutely right. president obama spoke to the des moines register yesterday. the campaign wanted that interview to be off the record. that really ruffled some feathers with the des moines register and the folks in iowa, this key battleground state. this morning an about face as you say, the obama campaign releasing the contents of that interview. it is now up on the des moines

register website. i'm going to read you one of the interesting parts of the interview, thomas. there are a lot of different elements. take a listen to this. the president says in one instance, i'm going to be very blunt since this is off the record, should i win a second term, a big reason i will win a second term is because the republican nominee and the republican party have so alienated the fastest growing dem graphic group in the country, the latino he community. an interesting perspective from the president about immigration. this was sort of an unwelcome were to the obama campaign as they stump here in this key battleground state of iowa. >> kristen welker reporting for us in iowa. let's listen to the president speaking there talking about iowa is where it all began for barack obama. >> he's been running around saying he's got a five-point plan for the economy. let me tell you, it turns out it's only a one-point plan.

folks at the very top get to play by a very different set of rules than you do. they can keep paying lower tax rates than you do, keep their money. offshore accounts. they can buy up a company, load it up with debt, lay off the workers, strip away their pensions, send the jobs overseas and they still make a big profit while the middle class gets stuck with the bill. don't boo. vote. that was his philosophy in the private sector. that was his philosophy as governor. that's his philosophy now. it's not a very inspiring vision for our country. so two weeks from the election, because he knows that if he actually told everybody what he wants to do, he probably wouldn't get any votes. so he's doing everything he can to make sure that you don't notice what he's been saying. and we've come up with a name for this condition. it's called romnesia. romnes

romnesia. i want to go over the symptoms with you in davenport because i don't want you to catch it. i don't want it to spread. if you say you won't give a big tax cut to the wealthy, but you're caught on video promising your tax cut would include the top 1%, then you might have romnesia. if you talk about how much you love teachers during a debate but just a few weeks ago you said we shouldn't hire any more teaches because they won't grow the economy, you probably have romnesia. if you sit on stage in a nationally televised debate saying how much you love cars, you're a car guy, except you wrote an article titled "let detroit go bankrupt," then you almost certainly have romnesia.

if you can't seem to remember the policies on your own website or the promises you made over the last six years that you've been are youing for president or the promises you made six days ago, you probably have romnesia, but don't worry. obama care covers pre-existing conditions. we can fix you up. there's a cure. we can make you well! as long as you vote, iowa, we can cure folks of this malady, of this disease. listen, smart people who don't have a dog in this fight independent analysts, economists, they took out their pencils, they are the green eye shades and krujed the numbers. turns out governor romney's economic plan is a sketchy deal. the results are not what you'd want to write home about.

"the washington post" calls his jobs plan a bait and switch. the bait is the promise that his plan creates 12 million jobs. the switch is the fact that his plan doesn't create 12 million jobs. that's the bait and the switch. in fact, it won't even create jobs right now. then governor romney wants to spend $5 trillion on tax cuts ta favor the wealthy, $2 trillion on defense spending that our military isn't asking for, and he wants you to believe that he can do that without adding to the deficit or raising middle class taxes. the problem is, you'd need to invent a new kind of math to actually make this true. the an rith ma i can does not work. so we know governor romney's jobs plan doesn't create jobs. his deficit plan doesn't reduce the deficit. and we joke about romnesia, but all of this speaks to something that's really important and that is the issue of trust.

there's no more serious issue on a presidential campaign than trust. trust matters. and here's the thing. iowa, you know me. you know -- you know that i say what i mean. and i mean what i say. there's some folks in this crowd who have probably been following me since i was running for the united states senate. and you know what? you can -- like this guy right here who i served with in the united states senate, george. and you could take a videotape of things i said 10 years ago, 12 years ago and you would say, man this is the same guy. has the same values. cares about the same people. doesn't forget where he came from. knows who he's fighting for. and you know what?

i haven't finished all the work that we set out to do back in 2008. but i have fought for you the every single day that i've held this office. and with your help, i've kept the commitments that i have made. i told you we'd end the war in iraq, we did. i said we'd begin the process of ending the war in everything an, we are. i said we'd refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11 and we have, and a new tower rises over the new york skyline. al qaeda is on the path to defeat and osama bin laden is dead. i kept that promise. >> president obama on the stump there in iowa today, a very busy day for the president going from iowa, colorado to nevada. but the president talking about the importance of the public trust and having the public trust and that mitt romney continues to distort public trust with romnesia.

i want to bringing in today's political power panel, perry bacon, also editor for the grio, msnbc ari melber, also a correspondent for the nation and republican strategist alice store. ari, i want to start with you. it's wild to watch as we're down to the final stretch here. take a peek. the race coming down to seven states. jim messina of the obama campaign insisted yesterday they're not cutting any states loose, but there are some swing states that you think the obama campaign has reconfigured. what are they? >> look, north carolina is a state where the president did very well last time. they registered a lot of voters. virginia is another state where they won that for the first time for a democrat since lbj. those are two places where i don't think they're going to be as bullish. in contrast ohio is a place you have early voting. so that really locks in some of the gains that obama had from a week or two ago when you had people coming out and already

getting involved and casting their vote up to even a third of people voting before the actual election day. >> you talked about early voting in ohio. vice president biden is basically camping out in ohio this entire week while the president continues on earlier in the show, governor romney is projecting a message of confidence talking up his momentum. he says the president is faltering. i want to play exactly what david axelrod had to say about that yesterday. >> we know what they know and they know what they know. i'm confident that we're going to win this race, and we'll know who is bluffing and who isn't in two weeks. >> so alice, is the romney campaign projecting momentum where it doesn't exist hoping perception will become reality, fake till you make it. >> i was in ohio myself for several days last week. i saw the momentum firsthand. you can also look at the polling data in all the battleground states, we're seeing things tighten significantly. we see romney ahead in key states like virginia, florida and missouri.

in a statistical dead heat or tied in key races like ohio is critical. you can look at the early and absentee voting activity. the rnc is taking a close look at that. the republican early and absentee voting is strong. our numbers compared to '08 we have an eight percentage point advantage in that area, and that shows right there momentum itself. so we have visuals on the ground in momentum, polling data and early and absentee voting numbers that show great moment for romney. >> perry, one thing the president's campaign has been doing is e-mailing supporters with the in message i don't want to lose. are they playing underdog on purpose to turn out voters in these final 13 days? >> they absolutely are. they are emphasizing the fact that he could lose this race and therefore, turn out to vote. a big undecided group of voters has not decided between romney and obama and people who might stay home or vote for obama,

particularly young voters. for obama, he needs to portray voting is so important this year. i'm the underdog. support me. >> another senate candidate is in hot water this morning. this time it's indiana's richard mourdock who had this to say about rape and pregnancy during a debate. take a listen. >> i struggled with it myself for a long time but came it realize life is that gift from god. i think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that god intended to happen. >> we all remember the comments of akin and now this on the heels of that. the romney campaign quickly saying mourdock's comments don't reflect romney's views. they do reflect his running mate's views. this candidate who romney endorsed mourdock in a television ad is playing in indiana now. although they have disavowed ha statement, they have not disavowed the candidate. does this present a problem with romney's efforts to close gender

gap especially when it comes to public trust? >> well, governor romney's done a great deal to close the gender gap beak because women are concerned about jobs and the economy. he has a tremendous record in the private sector on creating jobs in the economy but on this particular case, he's made it quite clear he disavows the statement and he also is very strong on his commitment to life. he only supports abortion in cases of rape, incest. women of this country are not monolithic voters. their number one concern is jobs and the economy. they're greatly concerned with the debt and president obama doesn't have the answers and the policies to create jobs and turn the economy around and the debt, has grown to $16 trillion under his watch is something that moms and women of this country are tremendously concerned with. and women and men across this country trust mitt romney to do something to create certainty in the economy and to turn things around and to create jobs.

>> you want to jump in. >> alice said that this candidate, mitt romney only supports abortion in cases of rape and incest. that's not true. this candidate mitt romney also supports abortion in cases of massachusetts elections where he ran publicly and the video shows he was a pro-choice candidate. now, the problem for him is, that was a position at one point. then he said he wanted to overturn roe, then he wanted to sign a bill that would federalize this issue and basically make it impossible for anyone to have an abortion. he's had about five positions. and this is such a serious issue. it's coming up as you report because of these comments from a candidate who reflects the mainstream of the republican party. there are people who feel strong little about this who i respect more than mitt romney because they see it as a religious issue. even i disagree with some of the religious leaders and conservatives on this, at least they have consistency. that's something romney doesn't have here. >> with the c jernds gap being so important, the democratic

national committee is hitting romney for that endorsement of richard maur you can do. planned parenthood's action fund is calling on romney to revoke his mourdock endorsement. doesn't this boil down to which mitt romney is the real romney, conservative or moderate and which one could end up in the white house? >> this is a, this could be a really important moment in the campaign. reason is because the undecided voters left are largely women and they are people concerned about the economy, not thrilled with the obama's economy and his views on the economy but they're voters generally pro-choice. this is a bad thing for romney. any day we're talking about abortion and not on the economy is a bad day for romney. i think he's got to figure out a way out of this. his position is in the minority of americans. most americans do support abortion rights. >> our wednesday political power panel. that i thanks to all three of you. i appreciate it. 5 million americans have

already cast early votes in this presidential election. how the drive to get souls to the polls will impact the fight for perhaps the most critical battleground state of ohio. state senator nina turner joins me next. plus, we want to know if perception sgs reality, who is winning the presidential election right now? tweet me @thomas a roberts. we'll share your thoughts later in the show. [ female announcer ] the power to become a better investor has gone mobile. with features like scanning a barcode to get detailed stock quotes to voice recognition. e-trade leads the way in wherever, whenever investing. download the ultimate in mobile investing apps, free, at e-trade. download the ultimate in mobile investing apps, free, very sore looking kinda blistery. it was like a red rash...

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all right. so as mitt romney and president obama zero in on the swings states today, let's get a look at our battleground headlines. the did he ever post ahead of the president's stop in colorado this afternoon once obama country colorado now razor thin. early voting is now in its third day there. the latest numbers show republicans currently leading in colorado.

early ballot requests. 43-34%. there's also another 23% of early voters out there but their party affiliation is unknown. as we look at nevada's las vegas journal, romney/ryan pledge to bring jobs back to nevada. in fact, campaigning there yesterday, governor romney and congressman ryan made a bold promise to get state unemployment down to 6% if elected. it's currently at 11.8. in the all-important buckeye state, the big headline from the columbus dispatch, ohio jobless rate lowest since 2008. down .3 of a percent now at 5.7 percent, well below the national average. the other big story in ohio is early voting. state officials say i more than 00,000 voters have already cast ballots. in all, more than 1.5 millions plan to vote before election day. president obama has a 13-point lead among early voters and a four-point lead among ohio residents who plan to vote

early. governor romney has a five-point lead among voters who say they will cast their ballot by showing up on election day. nina turner has represented cleveland, ohio, since 2006. first at city hall, now as a state senator. it's great to have you with us today, and the obama campaign touted its early lead there in ohio in the early voting yesterday saying it's not going to let up. as we know, the vice president is there basically all week. the race there will only get more heated with ohio now the top market in the ad spending. i want everybody to take a look at that. $177 million. is president obama's early lead enough to buffer any gains that the romney campaign is expected to make on election day the old fashioned way? >> i believe so, thomas. i mean, ohio is the president's life line. just as we delivered ohio in 2008, we will deliver ohio in 2012. the buckeyes here in the state understand that the president's policies are what are right for the state of ohio from throwing a lifeline to the auto industry

to making sure that one of the first pieces of legislation that he signed into law was the lily leadbetter act. we have a governor in governor romney who can't even decide what he believes that a woman should make dollar for dollar in comparison to a man. that is why in the state of ohio, the president leads governor romney by about 55-40% because women understand that they need dollar for dollar to support their families and men who love and support women understand the same thing. governor romney is like a man without a land. he wanders to and fro. where he lands nobody knows. >> it's interesting if the argument is true if it's all about jobs and the economy and ohio's jobless rate at 5.7% that, is a big endorsement for the president. however, likely voters ohio is locked up at 47%. this is truly not in the bag for democrats. it boils down to the turnout. how confident are you in democrats and the ground game invested in ohio at this point? >> very confident, thomas.

although the polls may be tightening, you know, we're all excited when the polls go way and when the other side, they go the other side's way, they're happy. the ultimate poll will be that when all the votes are counted on november 6th. i am very confident that the president will win this state. we are not taking anything for granted. we have minsters on the grounds who execute souls to the polls it. is exciting the supreme court did the smackdown on secretary of state husted as he tried to take away the last three days of early voting in the state by we know disproportionately african-americans utilize that. so souls to the polls are going on every single day up and through election day. >> as i mentioned the vice president in your state throughout the week. your state website though describes you as an outspoken advocate of the des enfranchised. congressman paul ryan is going to be specifically in your

district of cleveland speaking at cleveland state university to deliver this major policy speech expected to tell your constituents that the romney/ryan ticket is more equip theed to lift americans out of poverty than democrats. do you think that will resonate with anyone? >> no, i do not. the folks in my district understand clearly that romney is a shape shifter. shape shifting may be okay if you're play tto. women understand that the republican ticket cares not a thing about their health and their well-being and that they want smaller government except when it comes to a woman's right to control her own body. autoworkers in the state understand that because the president threw out that life line with the help of senator sherrod brown, he has revitalized the middle classes in this state. the president has us on the path of recovery and we're going to keep it going. we've got the president's back in the state of ohio. >> both sides agree the path to the white house goes directly

through ohio. always great to have you on. thanks for your time. >> thanks, thomas. >> i love teachers but i want to get our private sector growing. i know how to do it. >> i think we all love teachers. >> mitt romney's newfound love for teachers sparks a valentine from america's largest teachers union. we'll share their message to the republican nominee. plus another day, another republican candidate for congress sticks his foot in his mouth about pregnancy and rape. we'll talk with congresswoman jacquie spear how this impacts the battle for women voters. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪

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in sandy's path. conditions are getting worse. we'll keep an eye on her track and keep you updated on all the information as we get it right here at msnbc. brand new changes to the battleground map is making president obama's path to 270 a little more difficult. our political team has moved nevada and its six electoral votes to leaning the president's way while north carolina lines towards romney. that leaves seven states. here to help us break this down is larry sabato, also director for the center for politics in virginia. with ohio polls matching up perfectly with the national race, both locked at 47%, it's clear ohio is shaping up to be the bellwether state. let's look at the pathing to 270 if they were to lose ohio. start with president obama. >> well, for president obama, there are several pathways to get to 270 without ohio though

obviously, there they're more difficult. i think, for example, he would probably have to win colorado and that's going to be difficult. colorado, if anything, is edging just a tiny bit in romney's direction. but it's a small state strategy basically, thomas. if you don't have ohio, you're going to have to win places like new hampshire and wisconsin and iowa, which now is very, very tight. virginia is still very much in play. i've heard some people say it's edging to romney. maybe a percent or so, but there are two weeks to go and it could snap back. >> neither side is willing to give up on ohio and just to point out in modern times, no republican has taken the white house without ohio. governor romney's math though, larry, to attain 27 0 is truly very difficult, almost impossible without ohio. >> well, it's very difficult. i wouldn't call it impossible. there are a lot of moving parts

in the electoral college. part of the trick of analyzing it is keeping your eye on every moving part the simultaneously because they can move in different directions. states do that every four years. so romney seems to be gaining some steam in some of the smaller states like new hampshire and wisconsin and iowa. possibly in colorado, possibly in virginia. florida. so you can come up with combinations that get him away from ohio. everyone always says no republican has been elected president without ohio. that's absolutely true. but you know, every four years, we break rules. we do it regularly in the presidential game and in the electoral college. so two weeks out, i don't think you can allow your feet to get hardened in conditioncrete on any particular pathing to 270. >> all right. so ohio as we all know is the way to get to the white house. but interesting that you say that it is not impossible for mitt romney to do so without.

larry sabato, appreciate it. up next, no love for mitt romney. the nation's largest teachers union tells the nominee exactly what it thinks about his newfound affection for teachers. plus what tagg romney said to the president after the debate. did you see this moment at the very end? tagg putting his hand behind the back of the president? remember what he had just said about the president after that second debate. >> we'll bring you the details ahead in the polysidebar. a better place to turn for your legal matters. maybe you want to incorporate a business you'd like to start. or protect your family with a will or living trust. legalzoom makes it easy with step-by-step help when completing your personalized document -- or you can even access an attorney to guide you along. with an "a" rating from the better business bureau legalzoom helps you get personalized and affordable legal protection. in most states, a legal plan attorney is available with every personalized document to answer any questions. get started at legalzoom.com today. and now you're protected. get started at legalzoom.com today. [ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them.

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oh, hey alex. just picking up some, brochures, posters copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great.

didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign. looks good. [ male announcer ] fedex office. now save 50% on banners. i love this state. it seems right here. the trees are the right height. i like seeing the lakes. i love the lakes. i love cars. i love american cars. and long may they rule the world. i like pbs. i love big bird. i like you too. >> i love teachers but i want to get our private sector growing. >> i think we all love teachers. >> a highlight reel of mitt romney talking about all the things he loves including teachers. his claim isn't getting a passing grade from the president who is using his favorite newfound phrase to question the

republican's capability. >> if you talk about how much you love teachers during a debate, but said just a few weeks ago that we shouldn't hire any more because they won't grow the economy, what do you have? >> romnesia. >> i bet you've got some romnes romnesia. >> the country's largest teachers union is sending the candidate an early valentine and it's not exactly a love note. joining me now is national education association president dennis. this valentine is part of this new effort by the nea. what else have you and the american federation of teachers been doing to mobilize membership ahead of the election. >> we've been working hard and talking to our members getting information out and comparing the candidates. we want them to be sure that there is more than one mitt romney running for president. from the primaries to the general election to the debates he seems to want to have it two or three ways. on the one hand, he says he loves teachers and knocks their unions. he says he cares about kids in

school and says class size doesn't matter. every parent knows it does. he says investing in education lk build the economy and then to the des moines be register he said hiring teachers won't help the economy. but president obama has been consistent for four years and through this campaign. his commitment to education from preschool to graduate, increasing completely grants, fixing the loan program so money goes to striving students and not the banks and protecting class size and special programs for students by making sure the adult who's deliver those stay on their jobs. president obama has created a path forward and we believe in it. >> dennis, we have heard posturing from both sides on this issue and the president is touting his plan to hire 100,000 new teachers. do either of these candidates and their plans get to the heart of what is wronging with america's education system? i mean, you have to know. you're on the frontlines of this battle and helping lead teachers along the way. you have to know yourself personally and professionally there's a lot of work that needs to be done.

>> there are several things president obama has outlined that does get a handle what we need to do to make education better in america. investment in preschool is essential. every country that is doing well invests in preschool. he's tackling the college affordability. we cannot make college only affordable to the very wealthy few. it's got to be available to middle class folks. the other thing that i think president obama really understands is that education has to be available for all students in america, not just for some. as a nation, it's important for the individual to follow their dreams. it's important for building the economy. but for america in this global economic race, we must educate all our students no matter where they live, no matter their economic status. we can't have, as mitt romney says education that they can afford. america needs to invest in all students. >> you talk about the fact that mitt romney has knocked the teachers union. there are have been republicans critical even some democrats saying unions do block reforms

needed to improve schools by focusing on teachers first rather than students. >> i was a high school math teacher for 23 years. my first year of teaching i thought if i cared enough and worked hard enough i could deliver for every student. i soon learned that wasn't true. there are appealsmakers at the local state and national who makes decisions that impact the students in my classroom. i wanted a voice. that's what brought me into my association and my union. i wanted a voice to say to policymakers when you choose this decision, this is how it impacts the students in my classroom. so to try and separate the people from the union is crazy. the people are the union. and they want their voice heard. they spend every day working in public schools all across this nation under the most trying of circumstances attempting to give the best we can for students. their voice needs to be heard. >> deny fis van roekel. i appreciate it. here's a look at other stories for you.

the white house is reportedly working on a new plan for targeting terrorists. the disposition matrix, "the washington post" says the matrix contains names of suspects resources being used to catch them, indictments and secret operations. two teen brothers were charged in the murder of a 12-year-old. the name of the girl autumn pasquale. they lured her to their home by promising parts for her and her bmx bike. then they killed her. a surfer died after getting bit by a shark in california yesterday. experts believe it could be a great white. it's the 13th fatal shark attack in california since 1950. and a big thumbs up for facebook on wall street. they reported better than expected third quarter earrings yesterday, the stock trading around 20 bucks right now. apple's stock dropped 20 bucks after unveiling that ipad mini. it might be smaller than the original but still costs at least $329. if we take a look at the markets

we can see apple is trading up .2 of a point right now. republicans now defending a senate candidate after controversial comments about rape and pregnancy. how this could hurt the republicans come election day. congresswoman jackie speier joins me next. we want to know your thoughts, if perception is reality, who is winning the election right now? olay total effects in 2001. and one wedding, 2 kids, 43 bottles of olay total effects many birthdays later, still looks amazing. thanks to the trusted performance of olay. throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+. [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you don't back down from a challenge.

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for a great retirement plan with low cost investments. ♪ i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios an apple a day keeps the doctor away. and that may also help prevent obesity. acid found in apple peels increases muscle mass and calorie-burning fat. both of which can help lower and maintain weight. >> all right. welcome back, everybody. we talked more about the controversy we mentioned earlier in the hour. team romney trying to distance

itself from the republican nominee and the remarks made by a candidate of -- a candidate that mitt romney endorsed. during a debate last night, the tea party-backed indiana senate candidate richard mourdock was asked about abortion if a pregnancy results from a rape. here was his response. >> i believe that life begins at conception. the only exception i have for to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother. i just -- i struggled with it myself for a long time but came to realize life is that gift from god. i think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape that it is something that god intended to happen. >> those comments came a day after this ad began airing featuring governor romney supporting mourdock for senate. >> this fall, i'm supporting richard mourdock for senate. as state treasurer, richard worked with governor daniels to balance the budget and make government more accountable. as senator, richard will be the

51st vote to repeal and replace government-run health care. >> the romney campaign now says that governor romney disagrees with the comments and they do not reflect his views. however they have not said whether they asked the mourdock campaign to pull that endorsement. joining me jackie speier of california who be ises as democratic whip in the house. it's great to have you here in person. i we get to talk via satellite all the time. this certainly has to hit home hard for you. i know a lot of people are familiar with the fact that you gave a very passionate and dramatic speech on the house floor last year where you talked about your own second trimester termination of a pregnancy. when you hear something like this being brought up in a debate, basically a stance that god is okay with rape pregnancies, and that a woman shouldn't have a right to choose what to do with that, how do you react? >> i react viscerally as most women do. you know, there are 1.3 million rapes a year in this country.

and upwards of 80,000 of them result in pregnancies. and a woman should have every right to terminate that pregnancy. now, in congress, under the republican majority, in the house, there have been 55 votes put before us to diminish and reduce health care for women and specifically abortion. and when they come forward with a personhood amendment which i might add mitt romney endorses, that creates life at conception, which then puts abortion at risk for women who have been raped. >> jen sack can i with the obama campaign says the president found the remarks outrageous. mourdock tried to clarify after the debate. >> are you trying to suggest that somehow i think god preordained rape? i don't believe that. anyone who would suggest that, that's a sick and twisted -- no, no, that's not even close to what i said. >> but that is what he said

during the debate basically. and they're trying to play clean-up when upon reflection people questioning him about that. why do you think that this is such a contentionious and modern-day issue when this seems to have been something that we decided as a country, as a nation a long time ago? >> in 1973, row versus wade, and it was made very clear that government should not be in the bedrooms of couples, government should not be in women's bodies. government should not be engaging in this kind of activity. and to think that we have had three incidents this year with candidates all republicans all men, talking about rape as either is it legitimate rape in this case, is it ordained? and mr. walsh recently coming out with yet another comment about rape. so there's a problem in the republican party. they do not support abortion. they are trying to somehow

undermine it and even in cases of rape, they are at such an extreme position that women in this country should be very fearful of what will happen should the majority of the house remain republicans and mitt romney get elected. >> when we talk specifically about mitt romney and the fact that he did indoors mourdock, they have disavowed that statement but that endorsement still stands do you think they need to pull that? >> i think mitt romney talks out of all sides of his mouth and i think the result is, he will say anything that will get him elected. we don't know what mitt romney stands for. we truly don't. and in the case of abortion, i think that there's reason to believe that he would probably embrace mr. mourdock and embrace the personhood amendment as he said previously and that's bad for women in this country. >> congressman jackie spaer, hope you get to enjoy some of fall in new york. it's a work trip but great to

have you in person. >> we asked you and you answered, the question being, if perception is reality who is winning this election right now? we get this from justin tweeting in -- and kevin says -- you can keep those comments coming any time, tweet me at thomas a. roberts or find me on facebook, thomas a. roberts msnbc. we're back after this. oring. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi® card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts. more events. more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with a citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ]

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biden delivers in 30 minutes or less. time for the poly side bar. the vice president made a pit stop at a pizza and sub shop in springfield ohio to pick up pies. then he surprised campaign volunteers with the free food. if you were watching closely at end of the other debate you might have noticed a conversation between president

obama and tagg. wanting to take a swing at the president during the second debate. the president accepted the apology. >> jon stewart noticed something after watching the debate. >> i congratulate him on taking out osama bin laden. drones are being used in drone strikes and i support that entirely and feel the president was right. i want to underscore the same point the president made. i felt the same as the president did. i supported his action there. absolutely the right thing to do to have crippling sanctions. >> i think romney's leaning obama. >> a little late night fun at the candidate's expense. a little more time to go. that's going to wrap things up for me. see you tomorrow. "now" with alex wagner is coming up for the next hour. hi, alex. >> hey, thomas. as the republican vice

presidential nominee prepares for a late stage speech on poverty and upward mobility, can he relace memories of his budget policy, michael steele, michael bernstein and heather magee will weigh in. the des moines register released new comments from the president on this subject. my celebrity doppelganger luke russert joins us for a peek over the fiscal cliff. an idea of american exceptionalism bad for political discourse? all of that when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. [ male announcer ] inside the v8 taste lab. tomato, obviously. haha. there's more than that though, there's a kick to it. there's a pop. wahlalalalallala! pepper, but not pepper, i'm getting like, pep-pepper. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, zip zip zip zip zip! i'm literally getting zinged by the flavor. smooth, but crisp. velvety. kind of makes me feel like a dah zing yah woooooh! [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribable. could've had a v8.

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in less than three hours, paul ryan will make a speech addressing, quote, the country's fundamental obligations to society's most vulnerable. quick, someone call a doctor. he's got romnesia. it's wednesday, october 24th and this is "now."